The invention relates to a drive-shaft arrangement for use on a drive vehicle, in particular a tractor, with an automatic clutch system for intermediate-axle attachment units and a related drive vehicle.
Drive vehicles for the agricultural and forestry sector, in particular, tractors, are adequately well known with regard to their technical structure and their function. Drive vehicles are known already, which are used less in the agricultural or forestry area, however, mainly used for the maintenance of open spaces, particularly in the municipal sector.
Such drive vehicles or tractors are also known as municipal tractors. Often, these are used for mowing lawns and are then referred to as mowing vehicles or mowing tractors. Common drive vehicles for the municipal sector have a rear power take-off (PTO) powered by the motor of the drive vehicle to mechanically power rear-mounted attachment units and an intermediate-axle PTO to power intermediate-axle working devices. Such intermediate-axle working devices, for example, can be implemented as intermediate-axle mowers, which are attached between the vehicle axles of a mower rack while suspended.
In order to be able to mechanically drive front attachment units, an additional front PTO is required, which, in the case of a variety of drive vehicles, in particular in the municipal sector, is not provided as a standard and therefore would have to be additionally retrofitted if required. Such front PTOs are usually designed as independent engine PTOs, which take power directly at the crankshaft of the combustion engine of the drive vehicle or the tractor. Alternatively, a drive-shaft arrangement can be provided, which comprises a cardan shaft that is connected directly to the intermediate-axle PTO and extends from the intermediate-axle PTO provided in the region of the rear axle to the front of the vehicle. Adversely, the installation of such a drive-shaft arrangement is associated with considerable effort, that being, for example, for installation of such drive-shaft arrangements it is required to remove the back part of the mower rack completely.
In addition, automatic clutch systems for the automatic driving coupling of an intermediate-axle working device to the intermediate-axle PTO of the drive vehicle are already known. In the case of such systems, a mount for a cardan shaft is mounted to the mower rack, which is fixedly installed between the intermediate-axle PTO and the mount. On the free end of the cardan shaft, a profile drive element is provided, by means of which a plug connection between the drive shaft of the intermediate-axle working device and the cardan shaft of the automatic clutch system can be established automatically. For this purpose, the intermediate-axle working device, for example, an intermediate-axle mower is positioned in front of the drive vehicle and then driven over with the front axle so that the intermediate-axle working device is already located in the desired installation position between the front and the rear vehicle axle, therefore being located within the intermediate-axle space. Initially, a mechanical coupling of the intermediate-axle working device, in particular, the intermediate-axle mower is established with the mower suspension. Additionally, via the automatic clutch system or its profile drive element, a driving coupling of the drive shaft of the intermediate-axle working device is established over the cardan shaft, and therefore with the intermediate-axle PTO. From EP 2 042 013 B1, for example, a corresponding automatic clutch system, meaning a PTO coupling for an automatic connection of a working device with a drive vehicle is known.